Airplane wheel attachment



Nov. 5, 1946. J A, B CKST O 2,410,622;

AIRPLANE WHEEL ATTACHMENT Filed Apr'il 16, 1942' l INVENTOR. j LfiBacfis trom,

ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 5, 1946 UNITED ATEN-T F" l? than AIRPLANE, WHEEL ATTAGHMEN'E. AdolphBackstmm, H'empstead, N. Y. Application April 16, 1942,1SeriaiNo; 4395255.

2 Glaims. l This invention comprises an attachment for airplane wheels to automatically initiate rotational movement of wheels, in advance of landing, to eliminate abnormal tire wear and so called bald spots on the tires.

Many attempts have been made in this art to equip airplanes with means operable to set up rotation of the Wheels while the airplane is in the air, but all have failed of adoption; there is press ently a greater need for a device of this character than ever before because of the unusual landing stresses imposed on the tires of bombers and like heavy air vehicles employed in the prosecution of the war. It is the object of my in vention to equip the wheels of airplane landing gear with air impinging members which automatically come into operation, when the wheels are in operative position for landing, to begin rotation of the wheels before the wheels contact the runway.

A further object is to provide means applicable to standard air vehicles including both fixed and retractible landing gear, the means being of a construction to set up a minimum of parasite resistance or drag when not in use, when applied to fixed landing gear being sufiiciently compact to fold with the retractible landing gear.

Other objects of this invention will be apparent from the present preferred form of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is an elevational view of an attachment constructed in accordance with the present invention, illustrating its application, parts thereof being broken away to disclose details;

Fig. 2 is a detail fragmentary sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, showing one of the air impinging vanes or fingers in operative position;

Fig. 3 is a detail fragmentary enlarged sectional View of the device showing the manner of mounting one of the vanes or fingers on the wheel enaging ring or annulus;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of one of the vanes or fingers taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the annulus per se.

In order to illustrate the application of this invention, I have in the drawing shown a portion of an airplane landing gear generally designated 6, having associated therewith a wheel of standard construction I, the latter including a tire S.

The device of my invention comprises a ring or annulus 9 which is detachably engaged with the wheel 7 through the medium of bolts or the like Hi. The annulus 9 may be of a cross section, substantially as illustrated in Fig. 5, the outer periphery being channeled, for a purpose more fully hereinafter apparent. The inner wall ll of the annulus is provided with openings 92 arranged at intervals and adapted for the reception of bolts Ill. The bolts may be engaged with the disc or other part of the wheel l in any desired manner. Reinforcing webs l3 extend from the W211 ll in engagement with the bottom of the channel of the annulus. I

The base of the channel is provided with an opening I l between each pair of webs l3, adapted for the reception of one end of a vane or finger it, Each vane is pivotally mounted on a pin is in close proximity to one of its ends, one end is enlarged, as indicated at H. One of the walls of each of the enlarged ends H is equipped with a spring I B, the latter being engageable with the base of the channel of the annulus when the vane is in an operative position. The air engaging face of each vane or finger is longitudinally concaved, providing a cupped or dished-out surface for better air purchase. The outer terminal of each vane or finger is pressed outwardly to provide a cup-like terminal l9 to facilitate dislodgement of the vane. Where this attachment is used on retractible landing gear, ample space is provided in the airplane to stow the attachment with the landing gear without any alteration of standard airplanes. When using the invention on a retractible landing gear, it is manifest that as soon as the landing gear has been moved into an operative position, the attachment of this invention is correspondingly brought into position to be impinged by the air. Contact of the air with the vanes initiates rotation of the wheels and this rotation continues during flight, the direction of which is indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, so that when the airplane lands. the wheels will be rotating at approximately the air speed of the airplane. This is accomplished by varying the size of the vane. This minimizes wear on the tires, in addition to minimizing the possibility of turnovers when the airplane encounters inequalities in the road of travel. As is apparent from Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing. the outer terminals of the vanes, when in use, fall short of the outer periphery of the tire, thereby avoiding contact of the vanes with the runway. The springs 13 absorb shock when the vanes are swung into use and provide a cushion for the vanes during the operation of the latter. As is apparent, as the vanes are carried upwardly, during the cycle of rotation,

the vanes automatically gravitate into a folded or inoperative position substantially as shown in Fig. 1. On the descent, after the wheel has moved beyond its vertical axis, the vanes automatically gravitate into an open or operative position as also shown in Fig. 1.

It is of course to be understood that various changes may be made in the details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts within the scope of the claims hereto appended.

I claim:

1. In combination with an airplane equipped with Wheeled landing gear, a ring detachably engaged with each wheel, each ring being provided with a peripheral channel, the base of the channel being open at intervals, vanes pivotally mounted on the ring, one end of each of which extends through one of the-openings in the channel base, the terminal of each vane being enlarged, said vanes being movable consecutively into operation with each cycle of rotation of the Wheel.

2. In combination with an airplane equipped with wheeled landing gear, a ring detachably engaged with each wheel, each ring being provided with a peripheral channel, the base of the channel being open at intervals, vanes pivotally mounted on the ring, one end of each of which extends through one of the openings in the channel base, the terminal of each vane being enlarged, the air engaging face of each vane being longitudinally concave having its outer terminal pressed outwardly to provide a cup. ADOLPH BACKSTROM. 

